RadCom April 2024, Vol. 100, No. 4

April 2024 89 The Last Word – Letters radcom@rsgb.org.uk BACKGROUND NOISE John Irving, M7EPS I had been a listener for many years off and on. I had the time at 79, with the help of two long-term amateurs to get my licence. Having done so and, with their help, set up a Kenwood 570d plus a dipole and base- loaded vertical antenna (I live in a built-up area in West Somerset) I have run into a major problem. The problem is background noise which makes it difficult operating. We have tried to find any local problems with no luck. It would seem I have only one alternative and that is to go FT8. This I am reluctant to do as I am not computer literate and it does not feel like a ‘proper’ QSO. Besides, my friends would not be pleased! If anyone has any ideas as to the way forward I would be pleased to hear from them via john.irving1@hotmail.co.uk THE FUTURE OF AMATEUR RADIO Trevor Jones, G7REV Amateur radio has a problem. The general public at best sees the hobby as lonely old men in their rooms desperate to find someone to talk to and at worst they do not think about it at all. How do we change these perceptions? We need to be seen by the public, and interface with them. Ask yourself these questions: • When did you last see amateur radio represented at a public event? • Are you a member of your local club? • When you or your club operated at a MOTA, POTA etc site, was it identified and welcoming, or just a group of old blokes sitting in the corner of the car park? • Did you have handouts for such events? • Does your club have an evangelist position? Engagement with the public is the first stage in growing the hobby. RADCOM CONTESTING COLUMN Krishnan Rangaswamy, M0RSK In the February 2024 issue, Chris Tran, GM3WOJ announced his intention to retire as author of the Contesting column. I only occasionally get the on the air, and do not do any contesting. Even I noticed Chris’ refreshing approach to the column during his tenure and actually read and enjoyed his contesting columns. Previously, I remember only glossing over contesting columns in all radio magazines that seemed to me to be packed with lists of who worked how many contacts interspersed with appealing pictures of elaborate shacks and antenna setups (I hasten to add that I mean no disrespect to previous authors and admit that my view might come across as a bit flippant). Though I presently feel that contesting is not for me yet, Chris’ back-to-the-basics approach in the column, and the featuring of an M7 contester previously, did have an encouraging effect. I would like to thank Chris for his columns and wish him all the best. DXING THE PARANORMAL BAND Ron Gang, 4X1MK I’m looking for a copy of an article that was in 73 magazine, or possibly CQ , back in the late 60s or early 70s, if my memory is right, called “DXing the Paranormal Band”. Do any of you perchance have it, and can email me a scan? The author of the article recounts sitting in his shack at the time of a weekly sked which he had had with a friend who recently became a silent key. He is surprised to hear his friend’s voice coming across on the radio’s speaker, and begins the QSO. His wife comes into the station yet she hears nothing, until she touches her husband’s hand and then also hears the deceased ham’s voice. It seemed to me, at the time, to be a cleaver piece of fiction yet, as the years go on and my interest in ‘spiritual’ phenomena deepens, I wonder if there may have been some veracity to it. I have, for a long time, thought that there is a metaphysical aspect to our hobby, where we transcend physical limitations as it were, and communicate with other souls unseen and often distant. It has always been a source of wonder for me to dive into the ether and see who we will find, a kind of electronically- assisted astral travel. BREACH OF THE WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY ACT Mike Grierson, G3TSO In early 1996 I was appointed Chief Radio Telephony Examiner at the UK CAA. I ran a network of Examiners who conducted practical communication tests for the UK Flight Radio Telephony Operator’s Licence (FRTOL), essential for pilots of all UK registered aircraft. The test involves the candidate making all the radio calls associated with a flight, lasting about 40 minutes, during the course of which they are required to demonstrate an Emergency message and one Urgency message. I retired from the CAA in 2008. However, I remain a RTF Examiner conducting tests for the UK FRTOL. In June 2022, the UK CAA reviewed the qualifications of Radiotelephony Examiners and set revised requirements for the conduct of Practical Radiotelephony Tests which may now utilise handheld radios rather than approved closed circuit simulator equipment. The equipment now utilised is predominantly the cheap Chinese handhelds operating somewhere within their frequency spectrum, but under the guise of PMR446 radios for which they are not approved. As well as conducting the test in public, which is inappropriate, when it comes to simulating a distress call, a live transmission is now being made of a mayday call which clearly contravenes Section 47 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act. I have complained about this to the CAA whose response was both feeble and based upon total ignorance. I then reported the matter to Ofcom who equally displayed a disturbing level of ignorance and complacency, claiming it would be all right because it wasn’t intended to be a misleading call! Article 47 clearly states:  “(3) This section applies in particular to a message which, to the person’s knowledge, falsely suggests that a ship or aircraft (a) is in distress or in need of assistance; or (b) is not in distress or not in need of assistance.” This is the very nature of the messages sent during a test and which must not therefore be allowed to be broadcast! I would like to request that any of you who are located close to an airfield, who inadvertently intercept any form of distress call transmitted as part of a test and clearly not a genuine event, report the matter to Ofcom with all relevant details and raise a formal complaint. THE ’M’ REGIONAL SECONDARY LOCATOR Gordon Hudson, GM4SVM The reason Scotland has ‘M’ in the callsign prefix is that the flag for the letter ‘M’ in the international maritime signal flag alphabet is the Saltire, the flag of Scotland. How someone thought of that is a mystery, but it’s the reason. You can view the full alphabet here: tinyurl.com/IMTSF CLEARING THE AIRWAVES Tom Tierney, G0JSV I recently set up an analogue gateway and, as per the NoV, it will send an identity transmission every 15 minutes. It utilises both CW and voice for the ident. The voice sentences are made up by playing a series of .gsm files. So, for example, the software will play the m.gsm, b.gsm and 7.gsm files as the start of the gateways callsign (MB7). These .gsm files are simply 8-bit mono format sound files – similar but simpler than .wav files. The result is a very clear and polite transmission stating the callsign every 15 minutes. It could also announce the time and weather conditions occasionally if required. It occurred to me that these transmissions were very different from what I typically hear when listening to various live amateur QSOs. Especially on the various DV and FM internet- connected channels. So, I thought I would create a few additional .gsm files containing the sound of the announcer coughing, clearing their throat and saying excuse me before starting their over. Then maybe five to ten seconds of the